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Monday, April 17, 2017

Winding down

We had the almost-in-laws and my cousin for Easter dinner, and a good time was had by all! Several of the menfolk gathered 'round the BBQ in the rain and got stuff grilled. Per tradition, I almost forgot to serve two dishes (asperagus and the veggie main dish), but caught that in the nick of time. I sent everybody home with their selections from the communal Easter basket, having decided that people in their late 20's and above do not need individual baskets.

Some stray wedding stuff got settled, too. The happy couple seems to like my idea for picnic decor, colorful paper lanterns to hang from the trees. My husband is so excited about the rehearsal dinner picnic that he bought an extra grill, plus another skewer contraption that lets you turn the skewers. (Both items were tested last night, and passed inspection.)

Today, tired -- but still feeling the glow from the festivities.

Tomorrow a friend from the far end of the state will drive out of her way to come for a short visit and lunch!

65 comments:

A local(ish) acquaintance asked on FB how do you know if you have a blood clot? And then reported maybe having a blood clot but she needed to wait until her husband came home from work because she was currently alone with the baby.

And was then flooded with four bazillion responses to CALL 911 AND TAKE YOUR BABY WITH YOU.

She said, "I can't take my baby with me, looking for a sitter". Whereupon we all said, "YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THAT. CALL 911, TELL THEM YOU ARE ALONE WITH YOUR BABY AND MAY HAVE A BLOOD CLOT. LET THEM FIGURE IT OUT."

And then I said, "would you prefer to stroke out while you are alone with your baby?"

I had to take myself to the ER, when home alone with Sweet one time. I had cut my finger, and it wouldn't stop bleeding. Thankfully, a neighbor was available to watch her. But a cut finger does not equal a blood clot.

AW: Clergy Superbowl Week is done! Nap has been had!

W: All those things I put off until after Easter, plus a memorial service, means that this week is just as busy.

True story: when my mom had a massive stroke, she must have known something was happening, because she went out and told the neighbor that something wasn't right. Then she went in, had the stroke, fell and broke her hip. The neighbor went over to check, and found her on the floor, called 911. They took mom's husband (who had alzheimers) to the hospital with her, and admitted him for a couple days until his son showed up. So yeah. They can figure something out when the ill person is also a caregiver.

We also pay somebody to do the tax stuff, because it is bad enough collating all the numbers, and like Esperanza said, we like to stay married.

Sorry about the loss of your minister, Liz.

So -- my vegetarian tart with leeks, broc, and gorgonzola? I guess this was the learning tart, the one with mess-ups, beginning with using filo dough instead of puff pastry, and continuing through not adequately re-heating it (an oven at 200F will not do it). It still tasted good, and I think I'll stay with the filo dough next time, but add a microwave step before putting the top layer of filo on and baking that to a crisp, so as to get the cheese all melty.

All the things got done and I'm tired. So tired. As in, every cell in my body crying out for mercy, tired. I don't bounce back from the high holy days like I once did. Whew! Anyway, only two weeks 'til sabbatical!!!

Well done, pastoral pixies, on getting through another Holy Week! I hope get many righteous naps this week. (That reminds me of how my grandma used to argue that it was fine if she fell asleep during church, because she was "resting in the Lord."

I'm so sorry that you're losing your minister, Liz.

AW: we got through our Easter camp successfully, and E handled every part of it (sleeping at night reasonably well, eating in the noisy dining hall) better than ever before.

W: we're exhausted, and was miserable about coming home (spent the last part of the trip yelling "TURN BACK! WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO CAMP!").

AW: we bought discounted Easter chocolate at the neighborhood grocery store (30% off the entire store this week! They're clearing out before they're replaced by the bigger version of their chain in two weeks), and had an Easter egg hunt at home yesterday. I think we're going to continue to have the egg hunt as a home activity on Easter Monday, as an incentive to get home.

And even better to see a bunch of people I've known forever tonight, including my friend the honoree. Stories were told, memories revived, ever so many hugs and laughs. The two people hired within a couple weeks of me in 1989 -- back in the day, we formed a "caucus" and remember begging the longer-term people for work -- all of us were there, and that memory is hilarious because nobody has ever since then been short of work at that office. (And this time, we gathered not for a funeral.) Life is very full tonight.

AW: Saw my endocrinologist today and he is pleased with the trend of my numbers. I had felt that they weren't moving enough, and have found other places to reduce carbs without feeling deprived (I found out that I don't mind the taste of Splenda in coffee and tea, despite hating diet soft drinks. The more you know! Since I drink two cups of coffee and two cups of tea daily, and use three teaspoons of sugar in each, replacing those 12 teaspoons of sugar with 4 packets (total) of Splenda is a big carb savings).

He told me to add more small snacks of mostly protein + a little carbs during the day to avoid cranky hungry cravings.

Yay for the doctor's good report, Liz! And hooray for old friends, kathy a! I'm getting together with old college friends on Friday, and a newish friend on Saturday, complete with Baboos (this may prove to be a bad call on my part; we'll wait and see).

Today's freakout is brought to you by a soon-to-be first year law student, who totally freaked because she could not figure out how to register for her [required] first year classes, because they all looked full. And it turns out that she *can't* register, because that is done automatically, for all first year students, who all have to take all the basic core classes. Whew!

Mama suspects this was covered in some of the info she's gotten, so I'm viewing this as a learning opportunity, to read all that stuff.

Why is it I have so many whines when I host? But anyway, I have these black spots on my lips -- which aren't cancer, and aren't that genetic thing, and I usually forget that they are noticeable.

Which is why we have 6 year olds around, because one of them asked why I had black spots on my lips. So, I said they were like freckles, and I had them checked and it's nothing bad, they just look weird. That seemed to work for her, and her mom (who might have been a little unhappy with the question).

If I was a more fashion-oriented person who wore lipstick, I could buy a darker color and cover them. But I'm the original lipstick klutz.

The other option is having the worst of them cut out and stitched by the oral surgeon. Which I was thinking of doing before the wedding, but the whole process is not my favorite thing. If I wait much longer to schedule, it won't even be an option. I'm one of those procrastinators...

W: a cold has taken over my child. She was awake with a barking cough and earache at 4am.

AW: we're already booked to see her pediatrician this afternoon (for a new referral to see her allergist), and he wanted us to come in immediately, the next time she had a barking cough, so this is convenient timing.

W: grouchy, sick child, and I'm a little under the weather myself.

AW: Mr. Q is home for the week.

W: which means we're buried under house projects (there's a new bathroom vanity, waiting in the hallway for the kid to finish up in the bathroom, so that Mr. Q can install it.)

Good you got right in to see the ped! But E sure has been sick a lot this winter/spring. :( My daughter got ear infections essentially every time she met a germ, but getting tubes when she was about E's age made a huge difference. My son was more prone to chest things, and eventually got diagnosed with asthma -- for him, preventive meds really helped. So, I hope this gets sorted out. xoxo

Today I complained AGAIN about an order that never arrived at my house (because seriously, you want me to give feedback on something I never got? And what is with your customer service, anyway?); did dishes; got expert lipstick advice for my lip spots; consoled someone and laughed like heck about the cat who escaped, and then returned to bite his mama's artwork all to shreds; helped some people at the support group; drooled over all the food a friend is making right now; did a bunch of dishes; prepared magazines to mail to my SIL's place; laid in household supplies; consulted with the mother of the bride; sent notes to old friends; worried about some legal stuff; and etc. So it might *look* like I did nothing, but things got done, you know? LOL

W: Does anyone else do that half-asleep half-awake thing for hours at a time, in which your brain is working and your body only lightly sleeping. I have, for the past two nights. The first night, I wrote a funeral sermon while asleep, pretty much. Then last night, I got a to-do list together while asleep. But it does not make for restful sleeping. At. All.

W: Also, doing a funeral is exhausting. It's been at least 8 years since I've done that, and whew.

AW: Going to hang out with college friends for lunch tomorrow.

AW: Going to hang out with a new friend who might/might not move near here on Saturday.

W: But I'm so tired. I just want to sit in my quiet house and/or nap in my quiet house.

Sorry to hear E is unwell, QWP. I hope you are both feeling much better soon. It's good Mr. Q is home.

kathy, that sounds like a very productive day!!

Two more sermons to write before sabbatical starts. Today's is going to be a wrestling match because so much of my brain is already on sabbatical, and I can't seem to bring it back into work mode. There's an awful lot of "Look! Squirrel!" going on this morning.

Someone I know in real life who thinks he's capital P Progressive (white. cis. het. male) just asked me on FB "So you would like assurance that efforts to address economic inequality will also address other types of inequality such as women, minorities, immigrants, LGBTQIA, indigenous, and the environment?"

Day with old friends was so good, only not long enough. I am proud of my 18 year old self for choosing people who grew up to be such fine adults. We picked up where we had left off (it had been at least 7 years, we think), and shared both joys and sorrows with each other.

I've been feeling a bit quiet for the past couple of days, since finding out some shocking and tragic news (about the family member of a friend), which I haven't been able to discuss with anyone other than Mr. Q, as we wait for this to become publicly information. It doesn't directly affect me (beyond the fact that it's so shocking that it's taking some time to process), but I'm bracing myself for when other loved ones find out (and when my friend goes public with the news, since she doesn't yet know that I know), and figuring out how to be a support.

So, for the past couple of days, I've thrown myself into projects, since there's nothing I can do about this. E went to a really elaborate birthday party (AW: she had fun! W: she got worn out and is now sicker than before), Mr. Q and I replaced the bathroom vanity, and I just put together a photo book for my parents' upcoming 40th anniversary.

Sorry about the vagueness! Something shocking happened, and it's all over the news right now, but no one (outside of the immediate family and a few others) know who was the affected person, yet. It's weird reading news speculation and knowing more.

My daughter just located the ugliest plaid dress jacket ever, the one her father wore for his HS senior portrait. Apparently we are not allowed to throw this one out, or donate it. 1974. Giant plaid; lapels the size of an aircraft carrier. It was worn with a fuscia pink shirt, and a very ugly, very wide, and shiny striped tie (fortunately, that tie was lost to the winds of time).

Um. What exactly is your daughter doing to do with this jacket, kathy a?

AW: Delightful day with new friend. Can't post any photos, because friend's spouse was in town for a sooper seekrit job interview. But Baboos and new friend and I had a good time at the park, we dropped friend back at hotel, and returned to the park for the rest of the afternoon. So a total of about 5-6 hours at the park. Very cool place, with a science center, playground, nature trails, etc.

I'm pretty sure daughter and I could agree on burning it, but that wouldn't go over well with one parental unit. Also, we don't burn things here, even after the drought broke. So we'd go with donating, except it is not ours, and he might notice.

W/AW. The 20th was the 1-year anniversary of the date I filed for legal separation and got a restraining order. This year, it was also the date a relevant medical/mental health professional diagnosed toddler with separation anxiety disorder, along with a clear statement that she's specifically having a difficult time being away from me so much.

p_k: I was just thinking about you.... glad to hear from you! Sorry for the heaviness of this time of year, and so sorry that your toddler is struggling. But, I am so glad it has been clearly documented.Hugs and love to you and your children.--Neighbor Lady

W: Tragedy in former town--an 11 year old girl died as a result from an ATV accident. Her family are members of Mr. E's former church. It would be hard if we were there, but it's also hard not to be there. (Rural kids of all sizes ride ATVs, despite warnings from citified folks.)

Oh,um. Very insensitive. What could the person posting possibly have been thinking? My best guess is, not much. xoxo

Apparently, because our only president has been so very on top of the Holocaust that he forgot to mention Jewish people the last time he spoke on the topic, he plans to be the key speaker at a remembrance at the national capitol on Tuesday. I really don't understand why they can't drag him out the golf course instead.

W: At a church meeting today, we were discussing handicapped entrances, sidewalk cuts, etc. (yay, church people). Then someone pointed out that the POST OFFICE does not have a ramp, nor designated handicapped parking place. What the actual fireplace? That is a fireplacing FEDERAL building, is it not? It is possible that there is an entrance in the rear of the building or something, but I'm pretty sure it still isn't legal. One of my members says, "that's criminal!" (meaning figuratively). I said, "no, I think it actually *is* criminal." So...before I start googling, does anyone know where to make such a complaint? Because I'm not going to be able to let this one go. Not only is it criminal, but it affects my sweet little people.

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Wednesday Whining is a weekly blog with rotating hosts. Whines and Anti-Whines, both big and small, are welcome! Our purposes are mutual support and sharing a few laughs along the way.

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